Oh no! O'Flaherty's has departed its gallery-performance space on Avenue A

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

After a rollicking 18 months at 44 Avenue A, O'Flaherty's is out of the gallery-performance space on the NE corner of Third Street. 

We spotted a for-lease sign on the gallery's awning early yesterday morning. Artist, curator and owner Jamian Juliano-Villani confirmed the closure. 

When asked if she'd reopen in the neighborhood, she offered: "We're looking for a space where the sun sets at the entrance, not rises." When we asked her if there was anything else, she said, "Yes, Billy's pregnant," referencing O'Flaherty's gallerist Billy Grant.

O'Flaherty's debuted in February 2023 with "O'Flaherty's gelitin O'Flattering," featuring the Vienna-based performance group gelitin. The shows attracted big crowds.

And Juliano-Villani often seemed to be having the most fun of anyone...

Other memorable events included the debut of a Café (with art!) last August, which showed the work of seven artists and offered mac and cheese and chicken fingers, which may or may not have been part of the show. 

Less kitschy offerings included solo work by longtime East Village resident Donna Dennis, part of the architectural sculpture movement of the early 1970s.

Broker Chandler Slate said the O'Flaherty's space is available immediately with an asking price of $29,000 monthly.

Upright Citizens Brigade Theater closed UCBeast in February 2019 in this space. The comedy venue opened in September 2011, and UCB took over part of the expanded Two Boots empire — the video store on Avenue A and the Pioneer Theater around the corner on Third Street.

O'Flaherty's previously had a year-long run at 55 Avenue C at Fourth Street, culminating with a mobbed show in July 2022.

At 44 Avenue A, the shows were few and far between but never dull. 

Details on the arrests for the deadly shooting in Tompkins Square Park on July 12

Photo (from July 12) by Stacie Joy 

Reporting by Stacie Joy 

NYPD sources shared more details on the arrests of two suspects in the July 12 fatal double shooting in Tompkins Square Park. 

According to media accounts and police sources, the NYPD arrested two men last week — Angel Sardina, 63, and Rafael Macias, also 63. 

The men, who each have an extensive criminal record, "were both staying in a Pike Street shelter-type situation." Officers from the Gun Violence Suppression Unit made the arrests, and the two were processed at the 9th Precinct on Fifth Street. 

Sardina allegedly fired the shots that killed 74-year-old Fermin Frito, who was said to be selling drugs at the chess tables inside the 7th and A entrance to Tompkins Square Park. A second man, 44-year-old Edwin Rivera, was also shot in the ambush just before 10 a.m. It's not immediately clear what role Macias played in the shooting. 

Public records show that the charges against Sardina include murder in the second degree. He is being held without bail at the Eric M. Taylor Center in East Elmhurst. 

Police previously said this was a turf war over drug sales. "This is a targeted attack against a perceived drug rival," an NYPD source told us last month. 

The chess tables remain closed behind barricades, and officers from the 9th and 13th Precincts have been on patrol in and around the Park—both on foot and in vehicles. Members of the NYPD's Mounted Unit have also been spotted patrolling the area. 

In the wake of this incident, the 9th Precinct is emphasizing its commitment to community safety and is encouraging residents to participate in its upcoming National Night Out Against Crime on Tuesday, Aug. 6, from 4 to 7 p.m., an event designed to strengthen police-community partnerships.

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Police: Turf war over drug trade cause of last week's deadly shooting in Tompkins Square Park 

These are the opossum days of summer in Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Steven

Hello, is it me you're looking for? 

It has been a while (January), but we finally have an opossum sighting in Tompkins Square Park—with photographic evidence!

Over the years, opossums have been sighted in Tompkins Square Park (hence its own EVG opossum tag). 

We don't know how many members of the marsupial order Didelphimorphia might live in the Park. We've tried to tag them, but we haven't gotten close enough with the spray paint. (That is a joke!)

Anyway... enjoy the cuteness...

A few more details on the future of East Village classic bar Lucy's

Photo of Lucy's interior last night by Stacie Joy

The new owners of Lucy's will appear before Community Board 3's SLA committee this month.

As we reported in May, the owners of Golden Age Hospitality, whose portfolio includes establishments like Le Dive, The Happiest Hour and Deux Chats, seek to take over Lucy's, the decades-old Avenue A favorite owned by Ludwika "Lucy" Mickevicius that has been closed since late November. 

However, Golden Age withdrew their application before the May meeting, and it happened again in June, per public records. This is not uncommon and can mean anything from the paperwork not being in yet to the applicant still negotiating a lease with the landlord. 

The questionnaire on file at the CB3 website for public viewing (PDF here) ahead of the meeting on Aug. 19 shows that the trade name would remain Lucy's with the same hours — 5 p.m. to 4 a.m. 

The questionnaire packet includes a letter from Golden Age Hospitality CEO Jon Neidich to the local block association. The letter reads in part: 

While we are taking over the operation of the bar, our involvement is solely premised on preserving an East Village institution: Lucy herself will very much still be a part of this project (and will still be behind the bar!). We will not be changing the concept or design of the space (we will be adding some soundproofing in the ceiling and an ADA bathroom). 

The floor plan shows the same configuration with two pool tables, etc. The storage space behind the pool tables will be a prep area for the limited menu with five sandwich offerings. (There's a BLT, turkey club, croque monsieur, etc.)

Several tipsters have told us Neidich was a big fan of Lucy's and interested in buying the bar. (We're told Neidich once lived in the apartments above the bar at 135 Avenue A between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street.)

During several conversations in February, Ludwika "Lucy" Mickevicius told EVG contributor Stacie Joy that she had many potential suitors for the bar and may have a role in the new incarnation. 

As we first reported, attorneys for the building's new landlord served Lucy with a 30-day Notice of Termination in early February with a demand to vacate the space by the end of the month. 

Her lease expired in May 2015, and she was on a month-to-month arrangement with the previous landlord. Lucy told us that her last rent was $8,000 per month, and the new landlord, as of late December (West Lake 135-139 Avenue A LLC), was seeking a hefty increase.

The bar (aka Blanche's Lucy's Tavern) has been closed since November when some paperwork issues forced what was to be a temporary closure.

Golden Age Hospitality also has a pending application for the former Boiler Room space on Fourth Street at Second Avenue.

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Exclusive: Lucy discusses the future of her iconic East Village bar

Reopening day at International Bar

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

The International Bar reopened Monday after a four-plus month hiatus at 102 First Ave. near Sixth Street.

Back in the spring, the iBar folks told us that a paperwork snafu was the culprit, precipitating a longer-than-expected closure.

The iBar has had several lives since it first opened in the late 1970s at 119 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue. 

Regardless of the address, there has always been a Welcome Home-kind-of vibe at the International. 

"We really missed all our regulars and are so happy to be back," said Sawyer, the bartender on duty (below left with Rob). "It's business as usual. We all missed our East Village family."

Here's a look at the reopening day late Monday afternoon...

The bar is open from 10 a.m. to 4 a.m. daily. 

If you're on Instagram, you can follow the bar here.

Buy Me Flowers pushes up daisies on 7th Street

Buy Me Flowers, an unlicensed cannabis dispensary, closed earlier this summer at 102 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. 

The news of a closure isn't necessarily newsy, as smoke shops here and in other parts of NYC continue to open, close, reopen, rebrand, and close in a seemingly never-ending show of gamesmanship to stay ahead of crackdowns via law enforcement.

This was the first retail tenant for the space, which served as a residence for decades. 

As previously noted, Anthony Pisano lived in this converted storefront full of antiques and whimsical curiosities for nearly 40 years. He died in 2018 at age 86. Check out some interior pics from his home here.  

We have a feeling we'll be in for a series of schlocky concepts here in the years ahead in the building owned by Steve Croman. 

6 posts from July

A mini month in review... (with a photo from St. Mark's Place on a July Friday evening) 

• After nearly 30 years, Starbucks is closing its Astor Place location (July 28) 

• 2 men shot, 1 fatally, at the chess tables in Tompkins Square Park this morning, police say (July 12) 

• On 2nd Avenue and 2nd Street, an empty lot and lots of questions about what's next (July 10) 

• A look at 14th Street and 1st Avenue — 'a New York Block No One Can Fix' (July 10) 

• East Village McDonald's pays tribute to 2 victims of suspected DUI collision in Corlears Hook Park during July 4 celebration (July 7) 

• Mary O is bringing her scones to 7th Street (July 2)

Report: RYCO Capital buys 6 East Village rentals in $103-million deal

According to published reports and public records, RYCO Capital has purchased another batch of East Village rentals from the Halegua family's Jonis Realty. 

Last month, in a $29 million deal, RYCO acquired 127-129 Second Ave. and 36 St. Mark's Place. 

The six buildings in this latest transaction are all on Second Avenue between Ninth Street and 10th Street: • 141-143 Second Ave. 

• 145 Second Ave. 

• 149 Second Ave. 

• 151-153 Second Ave. 

• 156-158 Second Ave. 

 • 157 Second Ave.

The sale closed late last month and was made public in an Instagram post this past Thursday. PincusCo Media reported on this on July 17. 

Per Pincus: "The six-building portfolio contains approximately 112 residential units in 119,046 square feet of built space ... Most of the units are free market, according to a person with knowledge of the deal. The buildings also have 13 commercial units."

The businesses include Citizens Bank, Downtown Social, The Cooper Still, 16 Handles and Chase Bank. (The Long Pour is at 155 Second Ave., which was not part of the sale.) 

According to public records, Jonis Realty/Citi Urban Management's EV footprint is shrinking to just five buildings. 

A group of residents who live in properties owned/run by Citi Urban Management formed the Citi Residents Alliance, which has a website with a violations database.

PincusCo reported that RYCO Capital has been one of the few active multifamily buyers over the last year.

Cuts & Slices bringing its acclaimed oxtail pizza to the Lower East Side

Photos by Stacie Joy 

The owners of the popular Bed-Stuy pizzeria Cuts & Slices plan to open an outpost at 321 E. Houston St. between Attorney and Ridge. 

Per posted paperwork on the vacant storefront, the owners are applying for a liquor license for the space, formerly Milk Burger.

This will make the third location for the brand that first opened in Brooklyn in 2018. 

Described by Eater as a "Trinidadian-leaning pizza parlor," husband-and-wife owners Randy and Ashley Mclaren have built a loyal following through social media. Their unique slice offerings include chopped cheese, curried oxtail and jerk shrimp. (Read a rave review about the pizza at Eater.) 

In a feature from April, the Times called Cuts & Slices "New York's Most Exciting Pizza."

 

EV restaurant roundup: Four Four South Village, Don Chicken, De La Soul donuts and more

A few food-related items that we didn't get a chance to mention this past month... 

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Four Four South Village recently went dark at 11 E. Seventh St. near Cooper Square. Yelp lists the Taiwanese restaurant as closed (Google says it is temporarily closed). This address no longer appears on the brand's Instagram account. Four Four debuted here in March 2021.

Don Chicken has replaced Chick-In at 205 Allen St., just south of Houston. The Korean fried chicken specialists have over a dozen outposts in several states.

Murphy's New York closed earlier this summer on Ninth Street between Avenue A and First Avenue... the Instagram account for the shop selling Jamaican patties and coco bread says that they are relocating. Murphy's opened in July 2022. (Murphy's pic by Stacie Joy)

This past Friday at Cafe Joah, 212 Avenue A between 13th Street and 14th Street, the members of De La Soul held a pop-up selling De La-themed donuts and special merch. And there was a line. (Photo by Stacie Joy)

Gut renovations have picked up recently on the SE corner of Second Avenue and Seventh Street.

Last summer, coming-soon signage for Olde Brooklyn Bagel Shoppe arrived here... and it eventually disappeared. Updated: We hear that the bagel shop is still a go.

Bar Virage had a nice run here until 2018. (Photo by Steven)

Mocha Red Steakhouse + Mixology Bar has given way to sibling restaurant Nōmé at 127 Fourth Ave. between 12th Street and 13th Street. 

Per the restaurant's website: "Nōmé's chic downtown vibe features a creative menu that celebrates Nikkei cuisine. From the Mocha Hospitality Group team, Nōmé is open for lunch, dinner and brunch. Chef Santiago Chiuz and Sushi Chef Hiroji Sawatari have curated a bold menu rich in Peruvian and Japanese flavors."

According to the Resy description, there's a "must-order burger that features beef sourced from two different countries and took nearly a year to perfect." This might explain the $55 price tag for the Le Cabernet Prime Burger.

With Mocha out, we don't know the status of the Mocha Dream Lounge around the corner at 100 E. 13th St. between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue... where "your culinary dreams come true," per its Instagram account, last updated in February 2022...

Tuesday's parting shot

Photo by Stacie Joy 

As seen on Ninth Street at First Avenue. 

Our classic car sources tell us this is an Excalibur Series III Phaeton. (And we've posted a photo of this automobile before, though we can't find it now.) 

As everyone knows, the car became famous(er) after its appearance in "Roller Boogie," the 1979 Linda Blair classic that swept the Oscars.

UPDATED: Key Food closes in-store deli over Boar’s Head meats listeria scare and nationwide recall

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Updated 7/31: The deli has reopened. See photo below

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Out of an abundance of caution, Key Food has closed its deli counter for deep cleaning and sanitizing after the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) expanded the nationwide recall of the ready-to-eat liverwurst and other deli meat products made by Boar's Head — specifically at its Jarratt, Va. facility.

ABC 7 reports that the company distributed the meat to stores nationwide, as well as to the Cayman Islands, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Panama.

Per FSIS, these products "may be adulterated with Listeria monocytogenes."

The expanded recall now includes 71 products made between May 10 and July 29 under the Boar's Head and Old Country brand names.

Recalled products include (in the all-cap style of the FSIS) EXTRA HOT ITALIAN CAPPY STYLE HAM, STEAKHOUSE ROASTED BACON HEAT & EAT, and GARLIC BOLOGNA. 

If you inexplicably bought any of these items, this government release has details on dates and product packaging. 

Per the release: 

Consumption of food contaminated with L. monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a serious infection that primarily affects people who are pregnant, aged 65 or older, or with weakened immune systems. Less commonly, persons outside these risk groups are affected. 

Listeriosis can cause fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms.

Key Food management has "removed and discarded all recalled items and anything potentially exposed to those recalled items." 

The deli will reopen after the deep clean. 

Updated 7/31

Back open...
 

A broken window at Two Boots

Multiple EVG readers shared photos this morning from the NE corner of Avenue A and Third Street, where the NYPD had crime scene tape up around a broken window at Two Boots Pizza. (Thanks to Salim for this photo.)

Two Boots owner Phil Hartman told us that it was a break-in at the Smoke House smoke shop next door.

"Because we share a window—the vestige from Two Boots Video — he smashed our glass, which included irreplaceable hand-painted art by Nicolina, circa 2008," said Hartman. 

He noted that this is the fourth broken window at a Two Boots location in the past four months. 

Updated: According to a Smoke House employee, "no one was here. They just took some stuff—little things — from the display cases. There was no real damage except for the window."

With reporting by Stacie Joy

Curbside advice about discarded couches (and other large items)

It's the end of the month, so the streets are full of the usual collection of discarded mattresses, couches, clothing, shelving, etc. 

On Sunday, the Department of Sanitation offered some timely guidance on what to do with couches on social media, noting that they can be placed outside the night BEFORE your TRASH-ONLY collection day. 

Some feel like this was also a timely subtweet about a certain VP candidate.

Have a couch you just...don't love anymore? Set it out the night before your TRASH ONLY (not recycling) collection day. pic.twitter.com/DUhX4uDVtk

— NYC Sanitation (@NYCSanitation) July 28, 2024

When pressed for details about other large items, like toilets, the Department said those can also go out on your trash-only collection day.

Before (and after) Starbucks on Astor Place

Here are a few quick follow-up items after our scoop about Starbucks closing on Astor Place (here and here) after nearly 30 years...

1. The Astor Place Starbucks opened on March 30, 1995, marking the brand's 11th outpost in NYC.

Before SB, the space outside the downtown 6 at Lafayette was home to the Astor Riviera Cafe. (Above photo via Yesterdays-Paper. There's a nighttime shot here.). 

The 24/7 Riviera was open from 1979 until 1994. 

In noting its closure in July 1994, The New York Times asked in its headline: "Out of the Shadows, a Less-Funky Future for Astor Place?" (Cooper Square Books had closed a month earlier at 13-25 Astor Place.) 

Jeremiah Moss discussed all this back in 2009.

2. Discussions about the SB closing prompted comments like, "I wish we had a diner again around here."

As a reminder, the diner-like Famous Cozy Soup 'n' Burger, which opened in 1972, is at the western end of Astor Place at 739 Broadway. 

3. Several people suggested the Blue Bottle Coffee at 2 Astor Place for SB alternatives. Well, BBC closed in late 2021... and Felix Roasting Co., which took over the space, closed earlier this summer. (The above photo is from a few weeks ago — there's now a for-rent sign in the window.) Felix has three other NYC locations still in service.

A new restaurant for the former Mighty Quinn's space on 2nd Avenue

The August Community Board 3 SLA docket has yet to be made public... however, we know about at least one applicant for a beer-wine license. 

There are posted notices on the street and storefront for a new venture coming to the NW corner of Second Avenue and Sixth Street — Norigami, Inc. (dba Boka & Shiro Kuro)...

We'll learn more soon enough when the questionnaires are posted online. CB3's SLA committee meeting will be on Aug. 19. 

Mighty Quinn's had a 10-year run in this corner space until last August. 

Three of the five retail spaces on the west side of Second Avenue (the former Mighty Quinn's, Apple Bank and New Yorkers Foodmarket) are currently vacant.

Sammy's Halal reopens on 1st Avenue

Photos by Steven 

We thought Sammy was a goner. 

Sammy's Halal looked all but closed in the spring, with boxes stacked inside the front window. The space was dark for weeks. 

And then we saw some activity this month ... then Sammy's Halal reopened last week at 109 First Ave. between Sixth Street and Seventh Street with new signage and interior design. 

The counter in the previous space was in the back, and it didn't look inviting to enter. Now, you can order right inside the front door. There are also a few seats for dining.

You can check out the Sammy's menu here. 

The Sammy's signage first arrived in January 2018... taking over the address from Polish G. I. Delicatessen, the Eastern European specialty foods shop that closed in July 2017 after 21 years in business.

Monday's parting shot

As seen on the steps of Sara D. Roosevelt Park along Houston at Chrystie. We're not sure what this performance art piece — featuring a naked man and woman, who was wrapped in barbed wire — was about. Richard Megna shared the photo, noting the two were standing in silence.

Farewell to the Astor Place Starbucks, now officially closed

Updated with a comment from Starbucks HQ below...

Updated 4:30 p.m.: Through a spokesperson, ASG Equities, the landlord at 21 Astor, said that they offered Starbucks a lease extension at exactly the same rent:

ASG is appreciative of Starbucks' decades-long tenancy at 21 Astor.  We are sad they chose to leave, even as we offered a lease extension that would have allowed them to remain in their existing space at the exact same rent. This corner on top of the Astor Place subway has extensive glass frontage, tremendous signage, and incredible foot traffic. We are quite confident that this space will be of interest to a wide range of community-oriented retailers.

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In case you missed our scoop from yesterday... the Starbucks on Astor Place closed after service last evening.

By early this morning, workers had removed the Starbucks signage and papered over the windows of this retail space they've been in for nearly 30 years. 

As of 7 a.m., there was no note to potential patrons about a closure or where to find the nearest Starbucks. 

On Saturday, a manager told EVG's Stacie Joy that "the landlords jacked up the rent so astronomically high that even corporate Starbucks couldn't pay it." The manager said that all employees were offered relocation options with other Starbucks. (We also contacted the Starbucks HQ in Seattle for comment.)

This outpost was the 11th Starbucks to open in the city. The spacious 4,000-square-foot SB debuted on March 30, 1995 — a year before the Kmart arrived across Eighth Street. Other key dates in this SB's history: it underwent a major renovation in 2018 ... and unionized in 2022. (The North 7th Street unionized location in Williamsburg closed earlier this summer. We contacted the Starbucks Workers United union as well.)

Regardless of your thoughts about the brand, many people seemed to have a story about this prime people-watching outpost.

While there are ample available storefronts in the immediate area, we'd think that a brand entering the NYC market would want to snap up this high-profile location ... like Raising Cane's, which looks to be doing well since opening last September in the former Walgreens on the opposite corner. 

Updated 11:15 a.m. 

A statement from a spokesperson at Starbucks:

Effective July 29, 2024, our Lafayette & 8th St store, also known as Astor Place, in Manhattan will close permanently. We have engaged Workers United to collaborate on the next steps, including transfer options, for the 17 partners currently employed at this location.​

As a standard course of business, we continually evaluate our store portfolio, using various criteria to ensure we are meeting the needs of our customers. We do not take the decision to close stores lightly. Our relationship with our customers is deeply personal, and we are honored to have been on Astor Place. ​

We hope our customers will use the Starbucks Store Locator to find other nearby locations. 

The closest stores include​: 

• Broadway & Bond – 665 Broadway 

• ​ NYU 4th & Washington Sq E – 45 West 4th St.

•​ 15th & 3rd – 145 3rd Ave.

ICYMI: Mount Sinai receives conditional approval from the state to close Beth Israel

This past Thursday, the New York State Department of Health conditionally approved Mount Sinai's quest to close Beth Israel. 

According to Health Department officials, Mount Sinai must operate a new 24/7 urgent care center near the hospital on First Avenue at 16th Street for at least three months and reach an agreement with New York City Health + Hospitals to invest in expanding Bellevue Hospital's emergency room and psychiatric emergency department. 

Politico's Maya Kaufman first reported on the latest development here: 

"The conditional approval of the closure plan submitted by Mt. Sinai Beth Israel Hospital is based on careful and extensive review of the plan and delineates several conditions to help ensure that patients receive quality care at nearby hospitals and other primary care providers," Department of Health spokesperson Erin Clary said in a statement to Politico. 

A Mount Sinai spokesperson did not provide a new tentative closure date for Beth Israel, saying the hospital will "remain open and accepting patients" for the time being, per NY1. 

Mount Sinai's plan to close on July 12 was previously postponed. 

The Community Coalition to Save Beth Israel Hospital and the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary's lawsuit is still pending. A Mount Sinai spokesperson said they hope for an expedited review of the case. 

Crain's reported that Mount Sinai "has spent at least $72,000 in the last year to lobby state health officials about its plans" to shutter the facility.

Community activists pointed to the lobbying behind Mount Sinai's closing push in a statement. 

We are shocked and deeply dismayed that New York State Health Commissioner James McDonald has succumbed to a high-pressure lobby campaign by Mount Sinai Health System to approve the closure of Beth Israel Medical Center without even agreeing to meet with community leaders and members and our local elected public officials, despite long-standing requests. 

Commissioner McDonald's action will now turn much of Lower Manhattan into yet another hospital desert in our city, leaving tens of thousands of people without access to hospital care. We call on him to immediately rescind and reconsider his decision and then sit down with us to hear our concerns, something he has so far refused to do. 

The "conditions" Commissioner McDonald has attached to his approval provide meaningless protections for Lower Manhattan residents and workers — they would be laughable were the results not so serious. 

Meanwhile, on Friday evening, local elected officials spoke out about the decision to allow Beth Israel to close, saying the conditions fall well short of providing the assurances "our communities need and deserve"...

My colleagues and I reviewed the State Department of Health's conditional approval of the Mount Sinai Beth Israel closure. Here is our statement on the Department's decision: pic.twitter.com/XtcpGsraTU

— NYS Senator Brian Kavanagh 卡范納 (@BrianKavanaghNY) July 26, 2024

In the spring, The New York Times reported that patient care was suffering at Beth Israel, where cuts have meant the hospital can't care for critically ill new arrivals. 

Mount Sinai officials have previously said Beth Israel lost $1 billion in the last decade, and only $29 million remains in cash reserves. 

Beth Israel was founded 143 years ago on the Lower East Side and moved to its current location in 1929.